fanofFirehawk Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) ^^ You can say that again! EDIT: Shucks, double paged... Edited February 14, 2014 by fanofFirehawk 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 ^^ You can say that again! OK! Those cars are looking darn nice. -homestar92, saying that again. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GamesAndRides Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 As someone said above me, I think where the are putting the gravel may be where your picture will be taken. Or, It could be where the ride hits full speed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBEASTunchained Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 As someone said above me, I think where the are putting the gravel may be where your picture will be taken. Or, It could be where the ride hits full speed. "The top speed isn’t reached until halfway through the ride’s course." ( www.visitkingsisland.com/Banshee ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GamesAndRides Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 As someone said above me, I think where the are putting the gravel may be where your picture will be taken. Or, It could be where the ride hits full speed. The top speed isn’t reached until halfway through the ride’s course. I know, I said that I Think It Would go where they are puting the gravel Or Where the rides reaches full speed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheikra_rocks Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 They put gravel beneath Diamondback in the low to the ground places. My guess is so there is no need to mow grass in those low areas. Example of this at the bottom of the second drop: Photo taken from Google images.. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBEASTunchained Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 ^ Another example of that would be Son of Beast, which also had gravel under it's first drop, which was very close to the ground. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stashua123 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 But Diamondback does reach its top speed in that second drop. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheikra_rocks Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 But Diamondback does reach its top speed in that second drop. Top speed has nothing to do with the gravel. If you look at the photo I posted, you can see a train passing the camera area. That is gravel as well, and the train is not going 80mph there. At least one side of the Hammerhead has gravel, and the bottom of the drop off the MCBR has gravel. Most likely these places are here to prevent the need to mow beneath low track. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gplez90 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Here's my guess; the low areas of the ride are areas where nearby wildlife or other things can make their way onto or around the track, so they fence it off and, since they fence it off, they put gravel down so they don't have to access the area to mow. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Here's my guess; the low areas of the ride are areas where nearby wildlife or other things can make their way onto or around the track, so they fence it off and, since they fence it off, they put gravel down so they don't have to access the area to mow. I always wonder about those fences. I feel like they wouldn't do much to prevent a deer from getting in there. Deer basically have giant springs for legs with how well they can jump. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I would think the constant noise of the trains would keep the deer away. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Really? Semis on the Interstate Highway System don't intimidate them! 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 That is true. I dont know what I was thinking. Its been a long day. I am bored out of my mind and still not the slightest bit tired. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveinphoenix Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Perhaps the gravel is there so there won't be any bugs (such as gnats, bees, etc.) in the immediate area that could possibly hit riders in the face. Nobody wants to pick bugs out of their teeth after riding a coaster. Just a thought. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel_SoB_fan Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Millennium Force night riders would disagree with you. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 ^ Hopefully they're all keeping their mouths shut. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesharrison Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Deer? Bugs? Grass? What about humans?Didn't this group get a behind the scenes tour back there? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_Plummer Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Perhaps the gravel is there so there won't be any bugs (such as gnats, bees, etc.) in the immediate area that could possibly hit riders in the face. Nobody wants to pick bugs out of their teeth after riding a coaster. Just a thought. Reminds me of a story I heard a while back, http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/april99/stories/040199_01.shtml 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 A story you heard? Some of us were there! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74Gibson Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I've worn Mufflehead soup plenty of times but that's noting compared to wearing Goose! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Typically the low points with the gravel are for maintenance, to check the track, electrical components are sometimes near-by, etc. The gravel? Most likely it's to make sure that those who enter that point while the coaster is NOT in operation are able to have traction, because lets face it, it gets wet at some point during the season and maintenance men do not want to lose a boot or face plant into the mud. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheikra_rocks Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Perhaps the gravel is there so there won't be any bugs (such as gnats, bees, etc.) in the immediate area that could possibly hit riders in the face. Nobody wants to pick bugs out of their teeth after riding a coaster. Just a thought. Or geese? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 No one likes a coaster bug snack. Smile with your grill! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicDanTheMan Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 The Fenced in gravel areas on Diamondback are areas where the track is too close to the ground for people to be while the ride is in operation. These areas cannot be entered by employees, including maintenance, until all power to the ride has been diverted. (no diversion pun intended...) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheikra_rocks Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 The Fenced in gravel areas on Diamondback are areas where the track is too close to the ground for people to be while the ride is in operation. These areas cannot be entered by employees, including maintenance, until all power to the ride has been diverted. (no diversion pun intended...) Well, duh. We were talking about the gravel within the fenced in area and the reason it is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicDanTheMan Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 The gravel was specifically placed to obliterate any and all cell phones that may have the misfortune of slipping out of a pocket at the lowest and fastest points of the ride experience. Duh. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbkigi Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I used to work at BGT so I am familiar with this. Going to use Montu as an example. Usually at the back of the station on the opposite side from the control panel is a green button. (See Diamondback. The button is located on the left side of the train near row 16.) This button MUST be pushed to move the train in the station, unless the coaster is in maintenance mode. In maintenance mode, one person can operate the entire coaster from the control panel. During normal operation, the person assigned to the unload rear side of Montu, MUST hold the button down in order for the train to dispatch. The person in the control booth can push the dispatch buttons until his fingers bleed, but the train will not move unless the second button is pressed. Once pressed, the "driver" sees the indicator on his panel, then visually checks the loading area, then presses his buttons. The train advances. The incoming train will not advance into the station unless the rear dispatch button is pressed as well. (Same on Diamodnback.) This button at the back of the train works as a thumbs up in addition to the employee actually giving the thumbs up. The "driver"'s panel will light up when this button is pressed. Also, there is a mirror on both sides of the train in the front. YOu can see them above the camera in this photo. As for the way Kings Island does it, as I worked Diamondback and often was at co-dispatch (that green button near row 16), we were trained to not hit that button until the driver (yes Driver beep beep!!) gave the all clear. I'm pretty sure the button being pressed down on (HTCO can clear this up for me as he worked at Diamondback more recent than I have) doesn't let the panel know the button is pressed. The driver's dispatch buttons and the co-dispatch has to be pressed at the same time or within 3-5 seconds (can't remember) in order to dispatch the train or the ride would set up. It didn't work as the "thumbs up" for the clear....we had to get the clear from the station floor, give the high clear and announce clear so the driver (yes, beep beep ) would know we were ready to dispatch to give the all clear. At Diamondback, there is a 7 second time out, and the panel does have an idicator light as to when the co-dispatch button is pressed. And you are correcet, you're supposed to wait to hit the button until everyone including the driver has given the clear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Deer? Bugs? Grass? What about humans? Didn't this group get a behind the scenes tour back there? I would like for you to mind that I saw a deer while on The Beast, it was frightening. I would also like for you to not look down on Diamondback during splashdown, for that may not do good for you. Humans do not like to touch The Beast cars at any time when it is in motion. They like to stay in the rules, and like to keep their appendages in tact. Plus, I don't think that a human would like to jump infront of The Beast while in motion, that's just stupid. But hey, I'm just a BB1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 (yes Driver beep beep!!) (yes, beep beep ) Really? But same training here. Controls doesn't press anything unless they get a signal to or they see something to stop a train. For our panels dispatch enable when pressed will illuminate the controls dispatch button(s). I looked for a high clear, did my checks, cleared the train, looked for that light, pressed the button. At any point if one released the button, the brakes would close stopping dispatch. Also I think practically every coaster has a dispatch delay. We couldn't send a train out, have the next roll in and station stop, then dispatch another train. The safety system does this on purpose. The soonest we could do it if we like got super early and held the buttons down was to dispatch right around lift crest, so it was still the wrong interval for dispatch, so you still have to watch the train movement at all times. I miss operations, alot..Way too fun at times. But..I like medical & IT better nowadays 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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